


somewhere between fairytales

by threerachas



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: M/M, but no one has sex!!, cookies if you spot jisung, hope u like it, i suck at being deep, i tried?? pls review, rated t for minor swearing and allusions to sex, slight minbin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 22:38:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17170763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/threerachas/pseuds/threerachas
Summary: The in-betweens of Changbin and Felix's relationship, from strangers to friends to lovers.





	somewhere between fairytales

**Author's Note:**

> hi hello im back with a self indulgent changlix fic?? tbh idk how i ended up with this mess i was reading a xiuchen fic then now i'm here. the last part was lowkey inspired by that one scene from paper towns ya that john green book. also the title is inspired from a jily fic so cookies to anyone who knows what i'm talking about!! also psa english isn't my first language and this is heavily un-beta'd so i apologize. hope yall like it tho!!

9-year old Changbin doesn't have many friends, as the small, dark-haired boy chooses to focus on cultivating a routine. It went like this:

In the morning, he'd get up and take a shower, change into the white polo and black pants that were his school uniform. He'd eat the breakfast his mother laid out for him, and with a polite thank you and goodbye to said mother, he'd slip on his shoes and begin the short walk to his school. He'd be joined by his only friend, 8-year old Hyunjin, who would smile brightly and greet the older and proceed to tell him about what shenanigans he'd been up to the day previously. Changbin would nod and when they reached the drab gray stone walls of their school, they would part as Changbin headed off to his classroom, Hyunjin being a year younger than him. He'd then spend the day mostly alone—choosing to quietly eat lunch by himself (while reading a book, on some days) than join in on the games the other kids played. He'd find Hyunjin waiting for him as he left school, and he'd walk home to go eat dinner, do homework, then sleep, then the cycle would start all over again.

So the boy is pleasantly surprised when one day, when he meets up with Hyunjin on their morning walk to school, the younger boy is accompanied by a boy slightly taller than the both of them, with a small, nervous smile and fidgeting hands.

"Changbin-hyung, meet Felix," Hyunjin says, smiling, "He's moved here from...Australia?"

Hyunjin says the country's name uncertainly in English, and the other boy (who Changbin now knows as Felix) perks up at the word he recognizes.

"Yes—uh, hi, Changbin-hyung?" he says nervously in accented (and slightly broken but Changbin is too polite to not mention that) Korean.

Changbin offers a small smile and with a sad attempt at English, says, "Nice to meet you, Felix."

The younger boys laugh at the unintentional high-pitched tone of Changbin's voice, but as they walk to school that morning, Changbin finds he really doesn't mind hearing the Australian boy's laugh.

—

Changbin still walks to school—the high school now—but he hasn't walked to school with Hyunjin and Felix for a year as they were a year younger and stayed behind for one more year at elementary while Changbin was a high school freshman.

But last night's text had confirmed he'd be meeting up with the said pair as they'd both transferred to the same secondary school (as expected from children living in their area).

But another reason for this morning meeting was because Changbin had wanted them to meet someone, and that said someone he was walking hand in hand with as he approached the familiar figures of Hyunjin and Felix.

As their figures become clearer while they approach, Changbin appreciates how much these two have grown. Occasions to see them in the flesh during the year they'd spent in different schools had been entirely non existent, and Changbin was grateful their friendship had persisted nonetheless. 

Hyunjin is the tallest among them now (although Changbin, while being the eldest, was still the shortest), and Felix has dyed his hair into a blond color that particularly suited him. Felix's Korean had improved greatly as well, although Hyunjin and Changbin's English had not. Changbin also knew the two boys had gotten into dance and were extremely good at it, so they were able to recognize the boy Changbin was with.

"Minho-hyung!" Hyunjin gasps in surprise, immediately noting the intertwined hands of the two older boys.

Felix says nothing, just raises an eyebrow questioningly at them. 

Changbin smiles softly, saying, "Well, I—we're dating."

Hyunjin engulfs the two of them with a slightly suffocating hug, and the couple laughs as Hyunjin cries, "My two favorite hyungs! And they never bothered to tell me!"

Changbin looks over to Felix who's smiling at them, Felix mouths a "Congrats" and Changbin focuses back on Hyunjin and Minho.

But if Changbin had looked a little closer, Felix's smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

—

Felix was used to being the friend people came to when wasted. Having a house so conveniently close to the area's bars and clubs, Felix found himself playing nurse to most of his friends who had been out late partying, or drinking away their sorrows and stress.

So he wasn't entirely surprised when Minho turns up at his house, reeking of alcohol and supporting himself up on the doorframe. Felix lets the older inside, grateful that his mother had flown back to Australia for some important business matters that left Felix alone in the house for the week. 

He grabs some water and crackers and set them on the coffee table, Minho having collapsed on the couch in front of the television. Felix takes a seat beside him, prompting the older to take some of the water.

Felix wasn't sure where he stood with Minho. The older boy was Felix's long time crush's boyfriend, but he was still Felix's talented dancer friend and Felix really didn't want to be awkward around him, as they had similar friends. But they were, and that was why Felix and Minho never really spent that much time together.

After a while, when Minho had finally had some color return to his face and he didn't look like he was about to throw up, he says, 

"I know you like Changbin."

Felix stares warily at him, not even Hyunjin knew about Felix harboring feelings for the short, dark haired boy ever since they started walking together to school when he was 8. 

"Hyung, wh—" he begins, but Minho cuts him off.

"I know you do and honestly I really think Changbin likes you too he's just kinda dumb but anyway I'm not sad about it, that was a lie I am kinda sad but I really shouldn't be becau—"

This time it's Felix who cuts off Minho's ramble because the older was drunk and he clearly doesn't know what he was saying.

"Hyung, you're wasted," he states matter-of-factly.

Minho smiles a small, sad smile. "Yeah, but.... we broke up earlier, you know."

Felix, without meaning to, sucks in a sharp breath which Minho, even in his drunken state, doesn't miss.

"And you should know that it's perfectly fine if you make a move or something, and you really should because Changbin is dense. Like, extremely dense. Also, we should be better friends Felix. Seriously, we kind of suck at the whole being friends thing," Minho says.

Felix, still kind of hazy from Minho's revelation, finds that he agrees to both statements.

—

It's a party, Hyunjin's birthday party, and Changbin isn't entirely sure if he wants to be here.

He has to, of course, Hyunjin is his best and oldest friend and he'd be damned if he missed something like Hyunjin's birthday. But the music is quite loud and the alcohol has been getting to people and Changbin's pretty sure that's Minho he's seeing over there, arm slung around a blue haired boy who's face reminds Changbin of a squirrel.

Changbin can still hear Minho's voice from two months ago, saying,

"I think we like other people."

Changbin is going to be honest and say, yeah, that was true. Although Changbin wasn't sure who it was exactly, when it started, and how it did, but both he and Minho had set their sights on other people and while Changbin still hadn't figured out who it was for him, it seemed like Minho had figured out his.

He's shaken out of his thoughts as a couple dancing vigorously to the loud EDM music bumps the guy next to him, who promptly spills his drink all over Changbin, and the drink Changbin himself is holding in his hand, the sticky dark red liquid staining the front of his gray shirt.

"Oh, shit, sorry dude," the other guy apologizes, and Changbin recognizes him as Chan, who was in the year above Changbin and also the captain of the basketball team.

Changbin just nods, saying, "It's fine, I'll just go clean up."

And with an apologetic bow, Chan walks off to grab another drink and Changbin walks in the direction of the the upstairs bathroom, because he's 75% sure a couple is making out in the downstairs one.

The music can't be heard as well up on the second floor, so the beats fade into the background as Changbin steps into the immaculate bathroom that looks like it belongs in a 5-star hotel.

He's turned on the tap and splashing water on his soiled shirt when the curtain that separates the bathtub and the rest of the bathroom opens and the bathroom's current occupants yelp in surprise, Changbin's voice turning slightly high pitched as he does so.

But on the other side of the curtain is Felix, and upon seeing it's just his friend on the other side, he begins to laugh when he realizes Changbin is also the source of the high-pitched yelp.

"Your voice sure is amazing hyung, when were you planning on telling me you were a singer?" he teased lightly, the echoes of his laugh bringing a calm feeling of familiarity to Changbin.

Changbin turns off the tap, having deemed there was nothing more he could do to help his shirt out. He debates on giving a snarky remark but, "What are you doing up here anyway?" he snorts instead, leaning against the bathroom wall and looks down at Felix who's squished himself in the bathtub, looking quite serene for someone who's in a fairly odd situation. After all, it's not everyday you and your friend are having slightly tipsy conversations in your other friend's gorgeous, 5-star hotel bathroom.

Felix holds up a bottle of beer, "Getting wasted but pathetically alone," he answers.

Changbin smiles sympathetically, "Do you have another bottle or are you fine sharing?"

Felix reveals another bottle that's tucked beside him, out of view from Changbin.

"Get in the tub, hyung," he invites.

Changbin's about to comment on how borderline creepy and sort of sexual that comment is, but Felix stops him with a raised eyebrow and Changbin just sighs and settles into the tub, facing the younger.

Felix watches as Changbin takes a long swig from the bottle he's offered him, and when he's finished, says,

"Woah there hyung, you all right?"

Changbin's about to answer of course, why wouldn't he be, but the alcohol that's already in his system is eating at him, and the fact that it's Felix he's talking to seems to make things a bit easier as he says,

"Nah, of course not."

Felix pauses before he says, "You and Minho-hyung alright, though? No hard feelings or anything."

Changbin hesitates slightly. Felix and Hyunjin have definitely noticed that even if the former couple had said they'd ended as friends and that they were fine, there was some awkward air between them and the obvious fact they spent more time without the other's presence, even if it was with Felix or Hyunjin.

"It was... a mutual breakup. And honestly, I shouldn't be sad about it you know? If it was mutual. Right?"

Felix just sighs, tapping his fingers on the gleaming white tub. Changbin watches the soft bathroom lights catch on Felix's face, that and the alcohol-induced flush to his face making him glow in some way. His now-orange hair, while on other people would look downright horrible, Changbin found he liked the way it looked on the younger.

And when Felix starts talking, Changbin finds himself enraptured by his deep voice, and he also finds himself watching Felix's lips and something stirs in him.

"Of course you can feel sad about it, hyung," Felix says, "You've broken up with your first boyfriend, you've let go of a relationship that's been with you for four years, almost, you can be sad. Don't say you can't feel sad, because that would almost be like saying you didn't care in those four years. And anyone with eyes can see that you did. Care, I mean, and Minho-hyung cares about you too. And since it was mutual, it means you both care about each other enough to let go, to allow both of you to grow and find something new, something better, but of course whenever something ends it's perfectly fine to feel sad. It makes you human."

Changbin's slightly surprised at Felix's words, but somehow he knows the Australian is right and the words bring some sort of comfort to his heart.

Changbin reaches out, their sitting positions in the tub not allowing for a proper hug so the older contents himself with holding Felix's hand in his, and something in the back of his mind tells him this is right.

He'll deal with that another day, but for now, he whispers a soft "Thank you". He isn't sure if Felix can hear it, but somehow he knows he doesn't need to.

**Author's Note:**

> hmu up on [twitter](https://twitter.com/mirohs_) if yall wanna scream about skz w me


End file.
